Welcome everyone to a beautiful new school year at the Hebrew Day School. If you look around, you can see so many new faces; hear the laughter and joy of our students and the buzzing of activities and learning here at the Day School. It is such a pleasure for both Rabbi Goodman and me to walk around the school and enjoy the life that exists here.

Life – Chai is life! Chai is also the number 18. This is my 18th year here at the Hebrew Day School and what an amazing happenstance to come to HDS the first day of school and find 18 new students as I start my 18th year. The Hebrew Day School is proud to say that we have registered more students since that first day but what a way to begin a school year.

Wishing you and yours L’Shana Tov – happiness, health, and prosperity in the New Year.

I am excited to invite you to a unique and innovative program for Jewish day schools. The New York office of The OU Advocacy Center—the non-partisan public policy arm of the OU—has developed the Schools in Session Initiative: Engaging Parents and Legislators in Jewish Education to create opportunities for New York State legislators to meet with Jewish day school parents and leaders and learn more about tuition affordability and other challenging issues that face the Jewish day school community.

Hebrew Day School of Sullivan & Ulster Counties will host a Schools in Session meeting with Senator John J. Bonacic at 8:45 AM on Thursday, January 30th, and will be held at 4718 State Route 42 P.O. Box 239 Kiamesha Lake, N.Y. 12751-0839.

In New York, OU Advocacy focuses on a single goal: identifying and securing creative, viable and constitutionally-sound government funding for Jewish education.

For OU Advocacy and its partners, 2013 was a banner year—leading to nearly $50 million for NY Jewish day schools through an increase in funding for the Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) and Mandated Services Reimbursement (MSR) programs and security aid for non-public schools.

In 2014, OU Advocacy is pursuing the following legislative initiatives on behalf of the Jewish community:• Repayment of the $226 million of CAP and MSR funds that the state owes private schools due to routine underfunding.• Enactment of the Energy Parity Act, which would give private schools the same reduced electricity rates and energy efficiency programs that are currently offered to many NY public schools.• Passing the Education Investment Incentives Act, which would allow individuals and corporations to send a portion of their tax liabilities to scholarship organizations that benefit our schools.

OU Advocacy’s Schools in Session is already bearing fruit for Jewish day schools. Our legislators value every opportunity to meet with constituents and the Schools in Session meetings gives them a chance to meet with parents and school leaders in an intimate setting and hear about the challenging issues facing the Jewish community.

We urge you to attend the Schools in Session program with Senator Bonacic on January 30th. Through the participation and support of the entire Hebrew Day School family, we will demonstrate our commitment to Jewish education, express the need for greater support from Albany and urge them to support our legislative agenda.